Use of o/w emulsions for chain lubrication

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to the use of an O/W emulsion, in particular a PIT emulsion, for lubricating conveyor belt systems in food industries as well as a lubricant concentrate based on an O/W emulsion, in particular a PIT emulsion, of wax esters.

The present invention concerns the use of an O/W emulsion, in particulara PIT emulsion, for the lubrication of conveyor belt systems in foodprocessing plants and a lubricant concentrate based on wax esters.

In the food industry, in particular in beverage plants, the containersthat are to be filled in the filling plants are transported by means ofconveyors in a wide variety of designs and materials, for example bymeans of apron conveyors or chain-type arrangements, which will bereferred to in general terms below as conveyor chains. The conveyorslink the various optional treatment stages of the filling process, suchas e.g. unpacker, bottle washing machine, filler, sealer, labeler,packer, etc. The containers can come in a wide variety of forms, inparticular glass and plastic bottles, cans, jars, casks, drinkscontainers (KEG), paper and cardboard containers. To ensure that theoperation proceeds smoothly, the conveyor chains must be lubricated bysuitable means such that excessive friction on the containers isavoided. Dilute aqueous solutions containing suitable antifrictionagents are conventionally used for lubrication. The conveyor chains arebrought into contact with the aqueous solutions by immersion or byspraying, for example, and this is then referred to as splashlubrication plant or automatic belt lubrication system or central chainlubrication system.

The chain lubricants that have been used until now as lubricating agentsare mostly based on fatty acids in the form of their water-solublealkali or alkanolamine salts or on fatty amines, preferably in the formof their organic or inorganic salts.

Whilst both classes of substances can be used without any problems insplash lubrication, they display a series of disadvantages in thecentral chain lubrication systems that are conventionally used today.Thus, DE-A-23 13 330 describes soap-based lubricants containing aqueousblends of C₁₆-C₁₈ fatty acid salts and surface-active substances. Suchsoap-based lubricants display the following disadvantages:

-   1. A reaction occurs with the water hardness, in other words the    alkaline earth ions and other water constituents, forming poorly    soluble metal soaps know as primary alkaline earth soaps.-   2. A reaction occurs between these soap-based lubricants and carbon    dioxide dissolved in water or in the product to be filled.-   3. The working solution thus formed is always promoting germ life.-   4. If hard water is used, ion exchangers are needed to soften the    water, representing an additional source of germs (and therefore    rarely encountered in practice), or the use of products having a    high content of complexing agents is required, which in turn is    ecologically critical.-   5. Increased foaming occurs, which can in particular cause problems    at the bottle inspector (automatic bottle control) and leads to    greater wetting of the transport containers.-   6. Most of these products contain solvents.-   7. The cleaning effect of these products is poor, which means that a    separate cleaning stage is necessary.-   8. The performance of such soap-based lubricant formulations is    dependent on their pH.-   9. Soap-based lubricant formulations also display a water    temperature dependency.-   10. Soap-based lubricants have only a short storage life,    particularly at low temperatures.-   11. EDTA (ethylenediamine tetraacetate), which is contained in many    products, is known to be only poorly biodegradable.-   12. Such soap-based lubricant formulations are not suitable for all    transport items made of plastics, since in many cases the transport    item can suffer stress corrosion cracking when these agents are    used.

In addition to soap-based lubricants, those based on fatty amines areprincipally used. Thus, DE-A-36 31 953 describes a process for thelubrication of chain-type bottle conveyor belts in beverage fillingplants, particularly in breweries, and for cleaning the belts with aliquid cleaning agent, which process is characterized in that thechain-type bottle conveyor belts are lubricated with belt lubricantsbased on neutralized primary fatty amines, which preferably have 12 to18 C atoms and include an unsaturated content of more than 10%.

Fatty amine derivatives having the formulae

are known from EP-A-0 372 628 as lubricants, wherein

-   R¹ represents a saturated or unsaturated, branched or linear alkyl    group with 8 to 22 C atoms;-   R² represents hydrogen, an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group with 1 to 4 C    atoms or -A-NH₂;-   A represents a linear or branched alkylene group with 1 to 8 C    atoms; and-   A¹ represents a linear or branched alkylene group with 2 to 4 C    atoms.

Furthermore, lubricants based on N-alkylated fatty amine derivativescontaining at least one secondary and/or tertiary amine are known fromDE-A-39 05 548.

From DE-A-42 06 506 are known:

Soap-free lubricants based on amphoteric compounds, primary, secondaryand/or tertiary amines and/or salts of such amines having the generalformula (I), (IIa), (IIb), (IIIa), (IIIb), (IIIc), (IVa) and (IVb)

R⁴—NH—R⁵  (IIa)R⁴—N⁺H₂—R⁵ X⁻  (IIb)R⁴—NH—(CH₂)₃NH₂  (IIIa)R⁴—NH—(CH₂)₃N⁺H₃ X⁻  (IIIb)R⁴—N⁺H₂—(CH₂)₃N⁺H₃ 2X⁻  (IIIc)R⁴—NR⁷R⁸  (IVa) and/orR⁴—N⁺HR⁷R⁸ X⁻  (IVb)wherein

-   R represents a saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated, linear or    branched alkyl residue with 6 to 22 C atoms, which can optionally be    substituted by —OH, —NH₂, —NH—, —CO—, —(CH₂CH₂O)_(l)— or    —(CH₂CH₂CH₂O)_(l)—,-   R¹ represents hydrogen, an alkyl residue with 1 to 4 C atoms, a    hydroxyalkyl residue with 1 to 4 C atoms or an —R³COOM residue-   R² only in the case where M represents a negative charge, represents    hydrogen, an alkyl residue with 1 to 4 C atoms, or a hydroxyalkyl    residue with 1 to 4 C atoms,-   R³ represents a saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated, linear or    branched alkyl residue with 1 to 12 C atoms, which can optionally be    substituted by —OH, —NH₂, —NH—, —CO—, —(CH₂CH₂O)_(l)— or    —(CH₂CH₂CH₂O)_(l)—,-   R⁴ represents a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched,    saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated alkyl residue with 6 to 22 C    atoms, which can display as substituents at least one amine, imine,    hydroxyl, halogen and/or carboxyl residue,    -   a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl residue, which can display        as substituents at least one amine, imine, hydroxyl, halogen,        carboxyl and/or a linear or branched, saturated or mono- or        polyunsaturated alkyl residue with 6 to 22 C atoms,-   R⁵ represents hydrogen or—independently of R⁴—an R⁴ residue,-   X⁻ represents an anion from the group of amidosulfonate, nitrate,    halide, sulfate, hydrogen carbonate, carbonate, phosphate or    R⁶—COO⁻, wherein-   R⁶ represents hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or    branched alkyl residue with 1 to 20 C atoms or alkenyl residue with    2 to 20 C atoms, which can display as substituents at least one    hydroxyl, amine or imine residue, or a substituted or unsubstituted    phenyl residue, which can display as substituents an alkyl residue    with 1 to 20 C atoms, and-   R⁷ and R⁸ independently represent a substituted or unsubstituted,    linear or branched alkyl residue with 1 to 20 C atoms or alkenyl    residue with 2 to 20 C atoms, which can display as substituents at    least one hydroxyl, amine or imine residue, or a substituted or    unsubstituted phenyl residue, which can display as substituents an    alkyl residue with 1 to 20 C atoms,-   M represents hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium, an alkyl residue with    1 to 4 C atoms, a benzyl residue or a negative charge,-   n represents an integer ranging from 1 to 12,-   m represents an integer ranging from 0 to 5, and-   l represents a number ranging from 0 to 5,    containing alkyldimethylamine oxides and/or alkyloligoglycosides as    nonionic surfactants.

EP-B-629 234 discloses a lubricant combination consisting of

-   a) one or more compounds having the formula

wherein

-   -   R¹ represents a saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated, linear or        branched alkyl residue with 6 to 22 C atoms, which can        optionally be substituted by —OH, —NH₂, —NH—, —CO—, halogen or a        carboxyl residue,    -   R² represents a carboxyl residue with 2 to 7 C atoms,    -   M represents hydrogen, alkali metal, ammonium, an alkyl residue        with 1 to 4 C atoms or a benzyl residue and    -   n represents an integer ranging from 1 to 6,

-   b) at least one organic carboxylic acid selected from monobasic or    polybasic, saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated carboxylic acids    with 2 to 22 C atoms,

-   c) optionally water and additives and/or auxiliary substances.

WO 94/03562 describes a lubricant concentrate based on fatty amines andoptionally conventional diluting agents or additives or auxiliarysubstances, which concentrate is characterized in that it contains atleast one polyamine derivative of a fatty amine and/or a salt of such anamine, the proportion of the abovementioned polyamine derivatives offatty amines in the overall formulation being 1 to 100 wt.-%.

According to a preferred embodiment of WO 94/03562, this lubricantconcentrate contains at least one polyamine derivative of a fatty aminehaving the general formulaR-A-(CH₂)_(k)—NH—[(CH₂)_(l)—NH]_(y)—(CH₂)_(m)—NH₂.(H⁺X⁻)_(n)wherein

-   R is a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched, saturated    or mono- or polyunsaturated alkyl residue with 6 to 22 C atoms, the    substituents being selected from amino, imino, hydroxyl, halogen and    carboxyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl residue, the    substituents being selected from amino, imino, hydroxyl, halogen,    carboxyl and a linear or branched, saturated or mono- or    polyunsaturated alkyl residue with 6 to 22 C atoms;-   A represents either —NH— or —O—,-   X⁻ represents an anion of an inorganic or organic acid,-   k, l, m are independently an integer ranging from 1 to 6;-   y is 0, 1, 2 or 3 if A=—NH— and 1, 2, 3 or 4 if A=—O—,-   n is an integer from 0 to 6.

Application DE 199 42 535.3 provides lubricants based on polyhydroxycompounds, which are hydrophilic because of their molecular structureand which at the same time improve the lubricating performance ascompared with the amines conventionally used as lubricants.

Polyhydroxy compounds selected from alkanediols or alkanetriols arecited as being particularly preferred, most particularly preferablyglycerol, or polymers thereof and their esters and ethers.

From the point of view of the user, however, the chain lubricants usedstill present the problem that they either adhere too poorly to thechains or attach too strongly to the chains.

Where chain lubricants adhere too poorly to the chains they drip ontothe ground soon after application, with the result that the lubricatingeffect on the chains, which are several meters in length, is extremelydependent on the proximity to the metering point. The same problemoccurs at places where there is a risk of the lubrication film rapidlybeing removed from the surface by spilled beverage.

The consequence is that very different qualities of lubrication canoccur from one section to another. In critical sections this commonlyleads to bottles falling over and even to interruption of the fillingoperation.

Where chain lubricants adhere very well to the chains, as is the casewith fluoro-surfactants, for example, which have very good wettingproperties, a firmly adhering film is formed on the conveyor chains,which cannot easily be removed by rinsing with water.

Residues and abraded material can accumulate in this film and lead tohygiene problems and breakdowns in operation.

The object of the present invention was accordingly to provide chainlubricants which on the one hand have good adhesion to the chains,display good lubricating properties and form a film that can easily beremoved again from the chains if necessary. Such chain lubricants shouldalso be available in a formulation stable in storage. Surprisingly, theabove object can be achieved with O/W emulsions stable in storage.

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to the use of an O/Wemulsion in concentrated form or after dilution with water for thelubrication of conveyor belts in food processing plants.

It is known that oil-in-water emulsions, hereinafter referred to as O/Wemulsions, that are produced and stabilized with nonionic emulsifiersundergo phase inversion when heated. This process of phase inversionmeans that at elevated temperatures the outer, aqueous phase becomes theinner phase. This process is generally reversible, which means that theoriginal emulsion type reforms again on cooling. It is also known thatthe phase inversion temperature point depends on many factors, forexample the type and phase volume of the oil component, thehydrophilicity and structure of the emulsifier or the composition of theemulsifier system, cf. for example K. Shinoda and H. Kunieda inEncyclopedia of Emulsion Technology, Volume I, P. Becher (ed.), MarcelDecker, New York 1983, page 337 ff. It is also known that O/W emulsionsproduced at or slightly above the phase inversion temperature areparticularly finely dispersed and are characterized by long-termstability. By contrast, emulsions produced below the phase inversiontemperature are less finely dispersed, cf. S. Friberg, C. Solans, J.Colloid Interface Science 1978 [66], p. 367 f.

In “Progress in Colloid and Polymer Science” 1987 [73], p. 37, F.Schambil, F. Jost and M. J. Schwuger report on the properties ofcosmetic emulsions containing fatty alcohols and fatty alcoholpolyglycol ethers. They relate that emulsions that were produced abovethe phase inversion temperature display a low viscosity and high storagestability.

However, only emulsions whose oil phase consists entirely orpredominantly of non-polar hydrocarbons were investigated in the citedpublications. By contrast, corresponding emulsions whose oil componentconsists entirely or predominantly of polar esters or triglyceride oilsbehave differently: either (a) coarsely dispersed white emulsions areformed instead of finely dispersed blue emulsions in spite of a phaseinversion or (b) no phase inversion at all occurs in the temperaturerange up to 100° C.

German patent application DE-OS-38 19 193 describes a process for theproduction of low-viscosity O/W emulsions of polar oil components, basedon the phase inversion temperature method (PIT method). According to theteaching of this application, phase inversion temperatures below 100° C.are achieved by using additional co-emulsifiers together with nonionicemulsifiers. It was found, however, that only coarse dispersions areattainable with this method in the case of oils with a dipole momentabove 1.96 D. This concurs with the publication by T. Förster, F.Schambil and H. Tesmann; who investigated emulsification by the PITmethod with regard to self-emulsifying surfactants and the polarity ofthe oil to be emulsified (International Journal of Cosmetic Science 1990[12], p. 217). On page 222 the authors state that the presence of aphase inversion is no guarantee that finely dispersed emulsions stablein storage are obtained.

WO 93/11865 presents an improved process for the production of finelydispersed O/W emulsions displaying long-term stability and based on oilmixtures with a high proportion of polar oil components. In particular,a process was provided by means of which finely dispersed O/W emulsionsstable in storage and based on oils with a dipole moment above 1.96 Dcan be produced.

It was found that O/W emulsions based on polar oil materials andnonionic emulsifiers are particularly finely dispersed and stable overthe long term if a mixture of polar oil, nonionic emulsifier and aspecial interfacial moderator are heated to a temperature within orabove the phase inversion temperature range—or the emulsion is producedat this temperature—and then the emulsion is cooled to a temperaturebelow the phase inversion temperature range and optionally furtherdiluted with water.

Furthermore, WO 93/11865 claims a process for the production ofoil-in-water emulsions of polar oil materials (A) in which

-   (A) 10 to 90 wt.-% of a polar oil material is emulsified with-   (B) 0.5 to 30 wt.-% of a nonionic emulsifier with an HLB value of    from 10 to 18 and-   (C) 0 to 30 wt.-% of a co-emulsifier from the group of fatty    alcohols having 12 to 22 C atoms or partial esters of polyols having    3 to 6 C atoms with fatty acids having 12 to 22 C atoms and-   (D) 0.01 to 50 wt.-% of an interfacial moderator selected from the    group of tocopherols, Guerbet alcohols with 16 to 20 C atoms or a    steroid with 1 to 3 OH groups    are emulsified in the presence of 8 to 85 wt.-% water at a    temperature above the melting point of the mixture comprising    components (A) to (D), and the emulsion is heated to a temperature    within or above the phase inversion temperature range—or the    emulsion is produced at this temperature—and the emulsion is then    cooled to a temperature below the phase inversion temperature range    and optionally further diluted with water.

This process has the advantage that particularly finely dispersedemulsions are obtained which display excellent storage stability. Incomparison to the previously known prior art, e.g. DE-OS-38 19 193, thephase inversion temperature is also reduced, which is particularlyfavorable in practice because of the associated energy saving.

Oil-in-water emulsions produced by the PIT method are used for exampleas skin and body-care products, as cooling lubricants or as fiber andtextile auxiliaries. They are particularly preferred in processes forthe production of emulsion-type preparations for skin and hairtreatment.

Reference is made in this connection to German patent DE 197 03 087 C2,from which is known the use of corresponding PIT emulsions for theproduction of cosmetic remoisturizing products.

In the currently available prior art a use according to the invention ofO/W emulsions is neither disclosed nor referred to in any form.

In a preferred embodiment of the use according to the invention the O/Wemulsion contains at least one wax ester.

The term wax esters refers to esters of long-chain carboxylic acids withlong-chain alcohols, which preferably follow formula (1),R¹CO—OR²  (1)wherein R¹CO represents a saturated and/or unsaturated acyl residue with6 to 22, preferably 12 to 18 carbon atoms, and R² represents an alkyland/or alkenyl residue with 6 to 22, preferably 12 to 18 carbon atoms.Typical examples are esters of caproic acid, caprylic acid,2-ethylhexanoic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, isotridecanoic acid,myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, isostearicacid, oleic acid, elaidic acid, petroselinic acid, linoleic acid,linolenic acid, eleostearic acid, arachic acid, gadoleic acid, behenicacid and erucic acid and technical blends thereof with hexanol, octanol,2-ethylhexanol, decanol, lauryl alcohol, isotridecyl alcohol, myristylalcohol, cetyl alcohol, palmitoleyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, isostearylalcohol, oleyl alcohol, elaidyl alcohol, petroselinyl alcohol, linolylalcohol, linolenyl alcohol, eleostearyl alcohol, arachyl alcohol,gadoleyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol, erucyl alcohol and brassidyl alcoholand technical blends thereof. Cetyl palmitate, cetyl stearate, cetylisostearate, cetyl oleate, cetyl behenate, cetyl erucate, stearylpalmitate, stearyl stearate, stearyl isostearate, stearyl oleate,stearyl behenate, stearyl erucate, isostearyl palmitate, isostearylstearate, isostearyl isostearate, isostearyl oleate, isostearylbehenate, isostearyl erucate, oleyl palmitate, oleyl stearate, oleylisostearate, oleyl oleate, oleyl behenate, oleyl erucate, behenylpalmitate, behenyl stearate, behenyl isostearate, behenyl oleate,behenyl behenate, behenyl oleate and mixtures thereof are preferablyused. Esters of the cited alcohols with fruit acids, i.e., malic,tartaric or citric acids, for example, fruit waxes and silicone waxescan also be used as wax esters.

The O/W emulsion for use according to the invention preferably containsat least one further component selected from the group of

-   a) triglycerides-   b) partial glycerides, or-   c) fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers, or    any mixture of the cited components a) to c).

The term triglycerides refers to substances having formula (2)

in which R³CO, R⁴CO and R⁵CO independently represent linear or branched,saturated and/or unsaturated, optionally hydroxy- and/orepoxy-substituted acyl residues with 6 to 22, preferably 12 to 18 carbonatoms and the sum (m+n+p) represents 0 or numbers of from 1 to 100,preferably from 20 to 80. The triglycerides can be of natural origin orproduced on a synthetic route. They are preferably hydroxy- and/orepoxy-functionalized substances, such as e.g. castor oil or hydrogenatedcastor oil, epoxidized castor oil, ring-opening products of epoxidizedcastor oils of varying epoxy values with water and addition products ofon average 1 to 100, preferably 20 to 80 and particularly 40 to 60 molto these cited triglycerides.

Partial glycerides are monoglycerides, diglycerides and technical blendsthereof, which because of their manufacturing process can still containsmall quantities of triglycerides. The partial glycerides preferablyfollow formula (3)

in which R⁶CO represents a linear or branched, saturated and/orunsaturated acyl residue with 6 to 22, preferably 12 to 18 carbon atoms,R⁷ and R⁸ independently represent R⁶CO or OH and the sum (m+n+p) standsfor 0 or numbers from 1 to 100, preferably 5 to 25, with the provisothat at least one of the two residues R⁷ and R⁸ represents OH. Typicalexamples are monoglycerides and/or diglycerides based on caproic acid,caprylic acid, 2-ethylhexanoic acid, capric acid, lauric acid,isotridecanoic acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid,stearic acid, isostearic acid, oleic acid, elaidic acid, petroselinicacid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, eleostearic acid, arachic acid,gadoleic acid, behenic acid and erucic acid and technical blendsthereof. Technical lauric acid glycerides, palmitic acid glycerides,stearic acid glycerides, isostearic acid glycerides, oleic acidglycerides, behenic acid glycerides and/or erucic acid glycerides arepreferably used which display a monoglyceride content in the range from50 to 95, preferably 60 to 90 wt.-%.

The fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers of relevance to the inventioncorrespond to formula (4),R⁹O(CH₂CH₂O)_(q)H  (4)in which R⁹ represents a linear or branched alkyl and/or alkenyl residuewith 6 to 22 carbon atoms and q stands for numbers from 1 to 50. Typicalexamples are addition products of on average 1 to 50, preferably 5 to25, to hexanol, octanol, 2-ethylhexanol, decanol, lauryl alcohol,isotridecyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, palmitoleylalcohol, stearyl alcohol, isostearyl alcohol, oleyl alcohol, elaidylalcohol, petroselinyl alcohol, linolyl alcohol, linolenyl alcohol,eleostearyl alcohol, arachyl alcohol, gadoleyl alcohol, behenyl alcohol,erucyl alcohol and brassidyl alcohol and technical blends thereof. Thesurfactants can exhibit both a conventionally broad and a narrowhomologue distribution. Addition products of on average 10 to 20 molethylene oxide to cetearyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol and/or behenylalcohol are particularly preferred.

Examples of other components include co-emulsifiers such asnon-ionogenic surfactants from at least one of the following groups:

-   (1) addition products of 2 to 30 mol ethylene oxide and/or 0 to 5    mol propylene oxide to linear fatty alcohols with 8 to 22 C atoms,    to fatty acids with 12 to 22 C atoms and to alkylphenols with 8 to    15 C atoms in the alkyl group;-   (2) glycerol monoesters and diesters and sorbitan monoesters and    diesters of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with 6 to 22    carbon atoms and ethylene oxide addition products thereof;-   (3) alkylmono- and -oligoglycosides with 8 to 22 carbon atoms in the    alkyl residue and ethoxylated analogs thereof;-   (4) polyol esters and in particular polyglycerol esters such as    polyglycerol polyricinoleate or polyglycerol    poly-12-hydroxystearate; also suitable are mixtures of compounds    from several of these classes of substances;-   (5) partial esters based on linear, branched, unsaturated or    saturated C₆₋₂₂ fatty acids, ricinoleic acid and 12-hydroxystearic    acid and glycerol, polyglycerol, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol,    sugar alcohols (e.g. sorbitol), alkylglucosides (e.g.    methylglucoside, butylglucoside, laurylglucoside) and polyglucosides    (e.g. cellulose);-   (6) trialkyl phosphates and mono-, di- and/or tri-PEG alkyl    phosphates;-   (7) wool wax alcohols;-   (8) polysiloxane-polyalkyl-polyether copolymers or corresponding    derivatives;-   (9) mixed esters of pentaerythritol, fatty acids, citric acid and    fatty alcohol according to DE-PS 1165574 and/or mixed esters of    fatty acids with 6 to 22 carbon atoms, methylglucose and polyols,    preferably glycerol, and-   (13) polyalkylene glycols.

The addition products of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide to fattyalcohols, fatty acids, alkylphenols, glycerol monoesters and diestersand sorbitan monoesters and diesters of fatty acids or to castor oil arewell-known, commercially available products. They are mixtures ofhomologues whose average degree of alkoxylation corresponds to the ratioof the amounts of ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide and substratewith which the addition reaction is performed.

C_(8/18) alkylmonoglycosides and -oligoglycosides, their production andtheir use as surface-active substances are known for example from U.S.Pat. No. 3,839,318, U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,535, U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,828,DE-OS 19 43 689, DE-OS 20 36 472 and DE-A-130 01 064 and EP-A-0 077 167.They are produced in particular by reacting glucose or oligosaccharideswith primary alcohols having 8 to 18 C atoms. With regard to theglycoside residue, both monoglycosides in which a cyclic sugar residueis glycosidically bound to the fatty alcohol and oligomeric glycosideswith a degree of oligomerization of up to preferably around 8 aresuitable. The degree of oligomerization is a statistical average basedon the homologue distribution as common in technical products of thattype.

Zwitterionic surfactants can also be used as emulsifiers. The termzwitterionic surfactants comprises surface-active compounds carrying atleast one quaternary ammonium group and at least one carboxylate groupand a sulfonate group in the molecule. Particularly suitablezwitterionic surfactants are the so-called betaines such asN-alkyl-N,N-dimethylammonium glycinates, for examplecoconut-alkyldimethylammonium glycinate,N-acylaminopropyl-N,N-dimethylammonium glycinates, for examplecoconut-acylaminopropyldimethylammonium glycinate, and2-alkyl-3-carboxymethyl-3-hydroxyethylimidazolines, each having 8 to 18C atoms in the alkyl or acyl group, andcoconut-acylaminoethyl-hydroxyethyl-carboxymethyl glycinate. The fattyacid amide derivative know under the CTFA designationcocamidopropylbetaine is particularly preferred. Other suitableemulsifiers are ampholytic surfactants. Ampholytic surfactants areunderstood to be surface-active compounds that in addition to a C_(8/18)alkyl or acyl group in the molecule also contain at least one free aminogroup and at least one —COOH or —SO₃H group and are capable of forminginternal salts. Examples of suitable ampholytic surfactants areN-alkylglycines, N-alkylpropionic acids, N-alkylaminobutyric acids,N-alkyliminodipropionic acids,N-hydroxyethyl-N-alkylamidopropylglycines, N-alkyltaurines,N-alkylsarcosines, 2-alkylaminopropionic acids and alkylaminoaceticacids, each having around 8 to 18 C atoms in the alkyl group.Particularly preferred ampholytic surfactants areN-coconut-alkylaminopropionate, coconut-acylaminoethylaminopropionateand C_(12/18) acylsarcosine.

Also suitable in addition to ampholytic emulsifiers are quaternaryemulsifiers, and those of the esterquat type, preferablymethyl-quaternized difatty acid triethanolamine ester salts, areparticularly preferred.

Substances such as e.g. lanolin and lecithin and polyethoxylated oracylated lanolin and lecithin derivatives, polyol fatty acid esters,monoglycerides and fatty acid alkanolamides can be used as furtheradditives, the latter simultaneously serving as foam stabilizers.Suitable examples of consistency modifiers, where required, areprimarily fatty alcohols with 12 to 22 and preferably 16 to 18 carbonatoms, as well as partial glycerides. A combination of these substanceswith alkyloligoglucosides and/or fatty acid N-methylglucamides of thesame chain length and/or polyglycerol poly-12-hydroxystearates ispreferred. Suitable thickening agents, where required, are for examplepolysaccharides, in particular xanthan gum, guar-guar, agar-agar,alginates and tyloses, carboxymethylcellulose and hydroxyethylcellulose,as well as higher-molecular weight polyethylene glycol mono- anddiesters of fatty acids, polyacrylates (e.g. Carbopole® from Goodrich orSynthalene® from Sigma), polyacrylamides, polyvinyl alcohol andpolyvinylpyrrolidone, surfactants such as ethoxylated fatty acidglycerides, esters of fatty acids with polyols such as pentaerythritolor trimethylolpropane, fatty alcohol ethoxylates with narrow homologuedistribution or alkyloligoglucosides and electrolytes such as commonsalt and ammonium chloride.

Depending on the properties required of the O/W emulsion for useaccording to the invention, suitable cationic polymers can also beadded. These are selected for example from cationic cellulosederivatives, such as e.g. quaternized hydroxyethylcellulose, which isavailable from Amerchol under the name Polymer JR 400®, cationic starch,copolymers of diallylammonium salts and acrylamides, quaternizedvinylpyrrolidone/vinylimidazole polymers such as Luviquat® (BASF),condensation products of polyglycols and amines, quaternized collagenpolypeptides such as lauryidimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed collagen(Lamequat® L/Grünau), quaternized wheat polypeptides, polyethyleneimine,cationic silicone polymers such as amidomethicones, copolymers of adipicacid and dimethylaminohydroxypropyldiethylenetriamine(Cartaretine®/Sandoz), copolymers of acrylic acid withdimethyldiallylammonium chloride (Merquat® 550/Chemviron),polyaminopolyamides such as described e.g. in FR-A 22 52 840 andcrosslinked water-soluble polymers thereof, cationic chitin derivativessuch as e.g. quaternized chitosan, optionally with microcrystallinedistribution, condensation products of dihaloalkyls such as e.g.dibromobutane with bisdialkylamines such asbisdimethylamino-1,3-propane, cationic guar gum such as Jaguar® CBS,Jaguar® C-17, Jaguar® C-16 from Celanese, quaternized ammonium saltpolymers such as Mirapol® A-15, Mirapol® AD-1, Mirapol® AZ-1 fromMiranol.

Hydrotropes such as ethanol, isopropyl alcohol or polyols can also beused to improve the flow properties of the O/W emulsion for useaccording to the invention. Suitable polyols for this purpose preferablyhave 2 to 15 carbon atoms and at least two hydroxyl groups. Typicalexamples are

-   glycerol;-   alkylene glycols such as e.g. ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol,    propylene glycol, butylene glycol, hexylene glycol and polyethylene    glycols with an average molecular weight of 100 to 1000 daltons;-   technical oligoglycerol blends with an intrinsic degree of    condensation of 1.5 to 10, such as technical diglycerol blends with    a diglycerol content of 40 to 50 wt.-%;-   methylol compounds, such as in particular trimethylolethane,    trimethylolpropane, trimethylolbutane, pentaerythritol and    dipentaerythritol;-   lower-alkylglucosides, in particular those having 1 to 8 carbon    atoms in the alkyl residue, such as methyl- and butylglucoside;-   sugar alcohols having 5 to 12 carbon atoms, such as sorbitol or    mannitol,-   sugars having 5 to 12 carbon atoms, such as glucose or sucrose;-   amino sugars such as glucamine.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention O/W emulsionscontaining

-   (x) 1 to 50 wt.-% wax esters,-   (a) 0.04 to 10 wt.-% triglycerides,-   (b) 0.04 to 10 wt.-% partial glycerides and-   (c) 0.04 to 20 wt.-% fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers    are used, with the proviso that the cited quantities are    supplemented with water and optionally further conventional    additives and auxiliary substances so as to make 100 wt.-%.

The O/W emulsions for use according to the invention preferably containat least one alcoholic component selected from monohydroxy, dihydroxyand trihydroxy compounds, in combination with at least one furthercomponent selected from

-   d) nitrogen-containing, aliphatic, organic compounds with less than    10 C atoms in the molecule, preferably less than 7 C atoms in the    molecule, which particularly preferably contains an additional OH    group, and/or-   e) an organic carboxylic acid with 1 to 10 C atoms in the molecule,    preferably acetic acid and/or caproic acid.

Furthermore, the proportion of the cited alcoholic component, relativeto the overall O/W emulsion for use according to the invention, ispreferably greater than 20 wt.-%, particularly preferably greater than50 wt.-%, but no greater than 61.8 wt.-%.

The cited alcoholic component to be used in the O/W emulsion for useaccording to the invention is preferably substantially glycerol.

Also regarded as being preferred is an O/W emulsion for use according tothe invention containing as the cited nitrogen-containing compound (d) acompound having formula (5)

wherein the residues R¹, R², R³ can independently be H or —(CH₂)_(n)—OHwith n=1 or 2 and not all residues R¹, R², R³ can simultaneously be H.The cited nitrogen-containing compound (d) is most particularlypreferably monoethanolamine and/or triethanolamine.

Where the cited nitrogen-containing compound (d) is present in the O/Wemulsion for use according to the invention, its proportion relative tothe overall concentrate is 0.1 to 20 wt.-%.

Where the cited organic carboxylic acid (e) is present in the O/Wemulsion for use according to the invention, its proportion relative tothe overall concentrate is 0.1 to 20 wt.-%.

Furthermore, the proportion of the aqueous phase in the O/W emulsion foruse according to the invention is preferably greater than 95 wt.-%,relative to the entire O/W emulsion. In the sense of the presentinvention the term aqueous phase refers to at least 10 wt.-% watertogether with all components contained within it, with the proviso thattogether they form a single phase, with no phase boundaries.

In another O/W emulsion for use according to the invention this is inthe form of a high concentrate containing

-   (x) 25 to 50 wt.-% wax esters,-   (a) 1 to 10 wt.-% triglycerides,-   (b) 1 to 10 wt.-% partial glycerides, and-   (c) 1 to 20 wt.-% fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers,    with the proviso that the cited quantities are supplemented with    water and optionally further conventional additives and auxiliary    substances so as to make 100 wt.-%.

Depending on the formulation, the O/W emulsion for use according to theinvention also preferably contains at least one antimicrobial componentselected from the groups of alcohols, aldehydes, antimicrobial acids,carboxylic esters, amides, phenols, phenol derivatives, diphenyls,diphenylalkanes, urea derivatives, oxygen acetals and formals, nitrogenacetals and formals, benzamidines, isothiazolines, phthalimidederivatives, pyridine derivatives, antimicrobial surface-activecompounds, guanidines, antimicrobial amphoteric compounds, quinolines,1,2-dibromo-2,4-dicyanobutane, iodo-2-propynylbutylcarbamate, iodine,iodophors, peroxides, peracids, the cited components being differentfrom the components in the O/W emulsion for use according to theinvention that have already been mentioned.

Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment the O/W emulsion for useaccording to the invention is produced immediately before it is appliedto the belts on the cited conveyor belt system, and in a particularlypreferred fashion the cited O/W emulsion is produced in special mixingnozzles that are suitable for the production of O/W emulsions.

The O/W emulsion or the diluted solution thereof for use according tothe invention is preferably used for the transport of plastic,cardboard, metal or glass containers, and in the case of plasticcontainers, these particularly preferably contain at least one polymerselected from the groups of polyethylene terephthalates (PET),polyethylene naphthenates (PEN), polycarbonates (PC), PVC and are mostparticularly preferably PET drinks bottles.

Furthermore, when using the O/W emulsion for use according to theinvention, additional antimicrobial agents, in particular organicperacids, chlorine dioxide or ozone, are preferably used separatelyduring the application.

In the application of the O/W emulsion for use according to theinvention, the O/W emulsion is further preferably applied directly tothe belts on the conveyor system by means of an application device,without prior dilution.

In the application of the O/W emulsion for use according to theinvention, the O/W emulsion is likewise preferably diluted with water inthe conveyor system, particularly preferably by a dilution factorbetween 20,000 and 100, before it is applied to the belts oh theconveyor system by means of an application device.

In another preferred embodiment of the application of the O/W emulsionfor use according to the invention, the application device is preferablyin direct contact with the surfaces to be lubricated during theapplication. In the sense of the present invention this means that theapplication is performed for example using a paintbrush, sponge, rags,wipers, that are in direct contact with the chain.

Depending on requirements, a spray device can also preferably be used asthe application device.

The invention is also directed to a lubricant concentrate in the form ofan O/W emulsion and containing a wax ester, for the lubrication ofconveyor belt systems in food processing plants.

The lubricant concentrate according to the invention preferably containsat least one further component selected from the groups of

-   a) triglycerides,-   b) partial glycerides, or-   C) fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers.

All explanations given in connection with the description of the O/Wemulsion for use according to the invention also apply in the same wayto the lubricant concentrates according to the invention.

EXAMPLES

Chain lubricant concentrates were formulated as an O/w emulsion invarious compositions and investigated for their properties. Theviscosity of the preparations E1 and E2 was measured by the Brookfieldmethod in an RVF viscometer (spindle 1, 10 revolutions per minute(rpm)), once immediately after production (20° C.) and again after astorage period of 4 weeks at 45° C. The stability of the formulationswas determined visually after storage (4 w, 45° C.), where “+” denotesstable and “−” phase separation.

TABLE 1 Formulations of the tested chain lubricants (quantities inwt.-%) Composition/property E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 Cetyl palmitate30 40 4.44 2.678 2.08 3.33 3.33 4.44 4.44 Hydrogenated castor oil 4 60.67 0.4 0.26 0.44 0.44 0.67 0.67 Glyceryl stearate 2 3 0.33 0.2 0.130.22 0.22 0.33 0.33 Beheneth-10 8 12 1.33 0.8 0.52 0.89 0.89 1.33 1.33(behenyl alcohol/C₂₂ with approx. 10 mol EO) Formic acid − − 2 − 0.13 −− − − Acetic acid − − − 3 − − − − − C₁₈ Alkoxypropylamine − − − 5 − − −− − KOH − − − 2 − − − − − Tallow betaine − − − − 10 − − − − Peraceticacid − − − − − 2 − − − Benzalkonium chloride − − − − − − 10 − −Monobromoacetic acid − − − − − − − 12.5 − Iodine − − − − − − − − 1.1Potassium iodide − − − − − − − − 2 Water to make 100 wt.-%Viscosity-immediate [mPa□s] 6000 6400 − − − − − − Viscosity-afterstorage [mPa□s] 6100 6400 − − − − − − Stability + + − − − − − −

Lubrication tests were performed with formulations E1 and E3, as well asE4. For this purpose the product was diluted with water of varyingqualities in order to determine any dependency of lubricatingperformance on water quality. PET bottles were used as transportcontainers in lubrication tests on test conveyors. The tests wereconducted in a way as described in the prior art.

The PET bottles were also tested on various chain materials.

Very good lubrication values were obtained as is show in Table 2 below.

In the case of saline, hard water in particular, the formulation E1displays outstanding lubrication values. The formulations E3 and E4 showexcellent values with completely desalted water as well.

Similar properties were achieved in tests with the other formulationsE2, as well as E5 through E9.

TABLE 2 Lubrication tests with diluted working solutions of formulationsE1 and E3, as well as E4 Concen- Chain tration Coefficient Formulationmaterial [ppm] Water of friction E1 Steel 100 CD (completely desalted)0.110-0.140 100 16° d. 0.060-0.080 200 CD (completely desalted)0.100-0.120 200 16° d. 0.065-0.090 400 CD (completely desalted)0.070-0.080 400 16° d. 0.045-0.060 Plastic 100 CD (completely desalted)0.120-0.160 100 16° d. 0.075-0.090 200 CD (completely desalted)0.080-0.130 200 16° d. 0.055-0.080 400 CD (completely desalted)0.070-0.110 400 16° d. 0.050-0.070 E3 Steel 1000 CD (completelydesalted) 0.07-0.09 1000 16° d. 0.06-0.08 Plastic 1000 CD (completelydesalted) 0.065-0.08  1000 16° d. 0.05-0.07 E4 Steel 700 CD (completelydesalted) 0.065-0.09  700 16° d. 0.055-0.07  Plastic 700 CD (completelydesalted) 0.05-0.07 700 16° d. 0.04-0.06 ° d = German hardness

When evaluating the above test series, it should be noted, among otherthings, that combinations including alkoxypropylamine achieveoutstanding lubrication values despite lower amount of cetyl palmitateactive substance in such combinations. Another advantage in suchcombinations is that alkoxypropyleneamines contribute additionalantimicrobial activity to the combination.

These advantages were confirmed in several tests for thealkoxypropylamine types that are well-known in chain lubricants and havethe general formulaR-A-(CH₂)_(k)—NH—[(CH₂)_(l)—NH]_(y)—H.(H⁺X⁻)_(n)  (V)wherein

-   R is a substituted or unsubstituted, linear or branched, saturated    or mono- or polyunsaturated alkyl residue with 6 to 22 C atoms, the    substituents being selected from amino, imino, hydroxyl, halogen and    carboxyl, or    -   a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl residue, the substituents        being selected from amino, imino, hydroxyl, halogen, carboxyl        and a linear or branched, saturated or mono- or polyunsaturated        alkyl residue with 6 to 22 C atoms;-   A represents —O—,-   X⁻ represents an anion of an inorganic or organic acid,-   k, l are independently an integer ranging from 1 to 6;-   y is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5,-   n is an integer from 0 to 6.

Also, very good lubrication values were achieved by combining theinventive lubricant concentrates with amines of formula (V) wherein Arepresents an —NH-group.

Moreover, good results are obtained when combining the lubricantconcentrates of the invention with chain lubricating agents according tothe formulas (I), (IIa), (IIb), (IIIa), (IIIb), (IIIc), (IVa) and/or(IVb) that are well-known from the literature and practice.

In such combinations, the otherwise required active substanceconcentration of amines frequently regarded as critical from atoxicological and ecological point of view can be reduced at will.

Accordingly, the present invention also widens the spectrum offormulation resources to the applications engineer.

In general, the lubricant concentrates combined with amine-containingchain lubricant active substances have sufficiently good antimicrobialactivity to prevent germ growth or even destroy germs in practice. Inthose cases where these combination active substances are absent ortheir concentration is not sufficiently high, it is of course possibleto add further antimicrobially active substances.

This is illustrated in the Examples E6, E7, E8 and E9 merely by way ofexample. In addition, there are many other options.

The TNO method was performed to determine the material compatibility. Tothis end, formulation E1 was used without dilution and as a workingsolution with 1% dilution.

According to the description of the test, PET bottles are filled withwater and conditioned with carbon dioxide in such a way that thepressure inside the bottles is approximately 7 bar. The base cups of thebottles are then dipped in the formulation of the comparative example orthe example for use according to the invention and stored in a Petridish for a period of 24 hours. After 24 hours the bottles are opened,emptied and the base cups rinsed with water. A visual evaluation of thebase cups reveals that in the test with the example for use according tothe invention only a few shallow stress cracks, grade A, are present inthe base area. Grading is performed in accordance with the referencepictures contained in chapter IV-22 of the book “CODE OFPRACTICE—Guidelines for an Industrial Code of Practice for RefillablePET Bottles”, Edition 1, 1993-1994.

Accordingly, the performance in respect of PET bottles can likewise berated as positive: little stress corrosion cracking, confined to thebase cup, was determined for both tests. The stand ring displayed nostress corrosion cracking.

As already indicated, it was found that the persistence of the workingsolution of agent E1 according to the invention on the chains increasesas the water hardness increases.

An increase in the water hardness can accordingly also extend theintervals between metering times.

1. A method of lubricating a container conveyor comprising applying anoil in water emulsion composition to a portion of the conveyor or aportion of the container, the oil component of the emulsion compositioncomprising a wax ester.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveyoris located in a processing plant.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein theemulsion composition is applied to the conveyor as a concentrate.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, comprising the additional step of diluting thecomposition with water prior to the composition being applied to theconveyor.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the emulsion composition isformed using the phase inversion temperature method.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the emulsion composition further comprises a componentselected from the group consisting of triglycerides, partial glycerides,fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers, and mixtures thereof.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the wax ester has a formulaR¹CO—OR² wherein R¹CO is a saturated or unsaturated acyl residue having6 to 22 carbon atoms and R² is an alkyl or alkenyl residue having 6 to22 carbon atoms.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the triglyceride hasthe formula

wherein COR³, COR⁴ and COR⁵ are independently acyl residues having from6 to 22 carbon atoms and the acyl residues are selected from the groupconsisting of linear, branched, saturated, unsaturated, hydroxylsubstituted, and epoxy substituted acyl residues and mixtures thereof,and wherein the sum of m, n, and p equals 0 to
 100. 9. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the partial glyceride has the formula

wherein COR⁶ is an acyl residue having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms and theacyl residue is selected from the group consisting of linear, branched,saturated, and unsaturated acyl residues and mixtures thereof; and R⁷and R⁸ are independently selected from the group consisting of COR⁶ andOH; and the sum of m, n, and p equals 0 to 100; with the proviso that atleast one of the two residues R⁷ and R⁸ represents OH.
 10. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the fatty alcohol polyglycol ether has the formulaR⁹O(CH₂CH₂O)_(q)H wherein R9 is a linear or branched alkyl or alkenylresidue having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms and q is a number from 1 to 50.11. The method of claim 6, wherein the emulsion composition comprises:(a) from about 1 to about 50 wt. % wax esters; (b) from about 0.04 toabout 10 wt. % triglyceride; (c) from about 0.04 to about 10 wt. %partial glyceride; and (d) from about 0.04 to about 20 wt. % fattyalcohol polyglycol ether.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein theemulsion composition further comprises water.
 13. The method of claim11, wherein the emulsion composition further comprises additives. 14.The method of claim 1, wherein the emulsion composition furthercomprises (a) at least one alcohol selected from the group consisting ofmonohydroxy, dihydroxy, and trihydroxy compounds; and (b) at least oneadditional component selected from the group consisting of: (i) anitrogen-containing, aliphatic organic compound having less than 10carbon atoms in the molecule; (ii) a carboxylic acid having from 1 to 10carbon atoms in the molecule; (iii) and mixtures thereof.
 15. The methodof claim 14, wherein the emulsion composition comprises at least about20 wt. % of the alcohol.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein thenitrogen compound has the formula

wherein the residues R¹, R², and R³ can independently be H or—(CH₂)_(n)—OH where n is 1 or 2, and not all residues R¹, R², and R³ cansimultaneously be H.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the emulsioncomposition comprises from about 0.1 to about 20 wt. % of thenitrogen-containing compound.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein theemulsion composition comprises from about 0.1 to about 20 wt. % of theorganic carboxylic acid.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the emulsioncomposition further comprises an amine selected from the groupconsisting of primary amines, secondary amines, tertiary amines, saltsthereof, and mixtures thereof.
 20. The method of claim 1, wherein theproportion of the aqueous phase of the emulsion composition is greaterthan 95 wt. % relative to the overall oil in water emulsion.
 21. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the emulsion composition comprises: (a) fromabout 25 to about 50 wt. % wax esters; (b) from about 1 to about 10 wt.% triglyceride; (c) from about 1 to about 10 wt. % partial glycerides;and (d) from about 1 to about 20 wt. % fatty alcohol polyglycol ether.22. The method of claim 21, wherein the emulsion composition furthercomprises water.
 23. The method of claim 21, wherein the emulsioncomposition further comprises additional additives.
 24. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the emulsion composition further comprises anantimicrobial.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the antimicrobial isselected from the group consisting of alcohols, aldehydes, antimicrobialacids, carboxylic esters, amides, phenols, phenol derivatives,diphenyls, diphenylalkanes, urea derivatives, oxygen acetals, oxygenformals, nitrogen acetals, nitrogen formals, benzamidines,isothiazolines, phthalimide derivatives, pyridine derivatives,antimicrobial surface-active compounds, guanidines, antimicrobialamphoteric compounds, quinolines, 1,2-dibromo-2,4-dicyanobutane,iodo-2-propynylbutylcarbamate, iodine, iodophores, peroxides, peracids,and mixtures thereof.
 26. The method of claim 1, wherein the emulsioncomposition is produced immediately before it is applied to theconveyor.
 27. The method of claim 1, wherein the conveyor is used totransport plastic, cardboard, metal, or glass containers.
 28. The methodof claim 1, wherein the emulsion composition is applied to the conveyorby means of an application device.
 29. The method of claim 4, whereinthe emulsion composition is diluted by a dilution factor of betweenabout 20,000 and
 100. 30. The method of claim 28, wherein theapplication device is in direct contact with the surface to belubricated.
 31. A container conveyor lubricant composition comprising:(a) a wax ester; (b) at least one alcohol component selected from thegroup consisting of a monohydroxy alcohol, a dihydroxy alcohol, and atrihydroxy alcohol; and (c) at least one additional component selectedfrom the group consisting of: (i) a nitrogen-containing, aliphatic,organic compound with less than 10 carbon atoms in the molecule; (ii) anorganic carboxylic acid having 1 to 10 carbon atoms in the molecule;(iii) and mixtures thereof.
 32. The composition of claim 31, furthercomprising at least one component selected from the group consisting oftriglycerides, partial glycerides, and fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers.33. The composition of claim 32 comprising: (a) from about 1 to about 50wt. % wax esters; (b) from about 0.04 to about 10 wt. % triglycerides;(c) from about 0.04 to about 10 wt. % partial glycerides; and (d) fromabout 0.04 to about 20 wt. % fatty alcohol polyglycol ethers.
 34. Thecomposition of claim 33, further comprising water.
 35. The compositionof claim 33, further comprising additives.
 36. The composition of claim32 comprising: (a) from about 25 to about 50 wt. % wax esters; (b) fromabout 1 to about 10 wt. % triglycerides; (c) from about 1 to about 10wt. % partial glycerides; and (d) from about 1 to about 20 wt. % fattyalcohol polyglycol ethers.
 37. The composition of claim 36, furthercomprising water.
 38. The composition of claim 36, further comprisingadditives.